Children are key to the nation's development. From paying visits to primary and secondary schools to meeting with children and replying to their letters, President Xi Jinping has always cared about children's health, growth and development. As today marks Children's Day, let's see some of the sweet interactions Xi has had with the nation's children.

　　Highlighting education for children

　　Xi Jinping talks with students at a primary school in Zhongyi township of Shizhu Tujia autonomous county in Southwest China's Chongqing on April 15, 2019. [Photo/Xinhua]

　　Xi pays close attention to the education of children, and has worked to ensure fair access to quality education for those in disadvantaged groups.

　　He has visited many schools over the years to better understand the state of children's education across the nation.

　　When visiting a primary school in Zhongyi township of Shizhu Tujia autonomous county in Chongqing in April 2019, Xi promised to ensure children in poor mountainous regions could go to school and have a happy childhood.

　　Xi Jinping greets students during an inspection visit to Beijing Bayi School on Sept 9, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

　　On Sept 9, 2016, Xi returned to Beijing Bayi School — his alma mater — and talked with students designing a mini satellite for scientific education while touring the school's science lab.

　　He asked them to tell him when the satellite was about to be launched. The students sent a letter to Xi before the launch and received a reply from him in December 2016.

　　Xi said in the letter he was pleased with their passion and bravery in scientific exploration. He hoped the students would stay hungry for knowledge, keep their interest in scientific exploration and foster their scientific spirit.

　　Xi Jinping waters a sapling during a tree-planting activity in Chaoyang district in Beijing on April 2, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]

　　From 2013 to 2021, Xi has joined an annual voluntary tree-planting activity in Beijing.

　　Xi has used the occasion to communicate with members of the Chinese Young Pioneers, a national organization for Chinese children, at every year except 2020, when children were excluded from the activity due to COVID-19.

　　He usually tells the children to study hard, and develop a love for labor and exercise. Leading by example, Xi has planted the seeds of environmental awareness in children, who have the future of the nation and the planet in their hands.

　　Xi Jinping kisses a child at a temporary shelter for quake-affected residents in Lushan county, Southwest China's Sichuan province, on May 21, 2013. [Photo/Xinhua]

　　On May 21, 2013, while inspecting a school devastated by an earthquake in Lushan county of Sichuan province, Xi told students to turn their trauma into a source of strength, urging them to be strong, brave and united.

　　In January 2015, Xi visited a quake-hit area of Ludian county in Yunnan province to check on victims and see how reconstruction work was faring. During the trip, he played with the children and expressed his wish that they would grow up healthy at the children's playroom in a temporary resettlement site in Ganjiazhai village.

　　Xi Jinping learns the sign language for "thanks" from Wang Yani, center, at the Children's Welfare House of Hohhot City, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Jan 28, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

　　During his visit before the 2014 Spring Festival to Hohhot city in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Xi made a special trip to a welfare home for orphans and disabled children.

　　He was delighted to see the children had a happy life and called for love for children, especially orphans and the disabled, from across society.

　　When communicating with the hearing-impaired girl Wang Yani, Xi encouraged her to study hard and wished her success in her studies. Xi also learned the sign language for "thanks" from Wang.

　　Xi Jinping attends an initiation ceremony of the Chinese Young Pioneers during his visit to Beijing Haidian Minzu Primary School on May 30, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

　　Xi has on many occasions shared his childhood memories.

　　During his visit to Beijing Haidian Minzu Primary School in May 2014, he attended an initiation ceremony of the Chinese Young Pioneers.

　　He told the students he cried when he was their age, because he was unable to join the first batch of Young Pioneers, eliciting great laughter from the students. He then recalled his excitement after finally being able to join the organization.